RUINER on GOG - gog.la/ComeOnPuppy The List - docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_K3ziSxT9zcUUGCddS4sF1uNJTWHSbOwB1CQX2Rx4Uo It turns out the next video might be a cyberpunk kind of thing, I have no idea anymore.
I don't listen to a lot of OSTs, but this is one I constantly pull out. Although I was a fan before the game, so I knew I'd like it. And it really does fit very well.
I knew Mandalore would be devious enough to take the bread out of voice actors mouths, taking such prestigious roles as Sewer Goblin just because he's a famous youtube man.
"I did enjoy playing it, there's just not a lot to come back to later." You perfectly summarized my feelings on this game. I loved every moment while playing through the game, but once I beat it I didn't have any urge to replay it at all. This is the first game that has ever made me feel that way.
There is a sort of beauty in that. A game that you can only experience at the the best enjoyment level, not allowing u to repeat it as you will never have an experience that is up to par as the first one which made u love the game
Mine would be Star Wars: X-Wing. It's great, but it sure is hard to play again with the likes of TIE Fighter and X-Wing Alliance around. Bonus if there are total conversion mods based on X-Wing that are far better (XWVM, for one example, albeit it's still unfinished). At least the games mentioned here aren't terrible either. Now that's a plus for me.
Mandalore is one of the few reviewer that always mentions sound effects and the soundscape in general. I gotta say, I used to never care about it, but now after some two years of watching his reviews, I started noticing it a lot more in games.
To be fair there is the argument to be made it's something when done well you probably shouldn't notice. That said, Ruiner is a game that is greater than the sum of its parts because all of them are extremely solid or even excellent (sound) but they compliment each other extremely well to the point that it elevates the experience.
I'd also recommend also checking out Grimbeard if you haven't! Mandalore mentioned him during the bit while talking about the soundtrack. He always does the same, dedicating a fair bit to soundscapes while still also offering very in-depth reviews of games. I learned about Mandalore through him, where for most it was the other way around.
@@ChronicNOTAG Hakita mentioned on twitter that Mandalore was very helpful to him back when he started the game's development, before New Blood was involved. He's in the game as a form of gratitude, I reckon.
Shout-out to Sidewalks and Skeletons, one of the greatest witch house/wave musicians out there and helping to keep the genre alive. I'm so glad he was part of this game.
I'm suprised by how Synthetik is not mentioned when mentioning similar games. The moment I saw the gameplay, Synthetik reload reflexes in my brain kicked in!
The tutorial mission when it came out was extremely hard, you had to be perfect against like 5 dudes and it had a really short kill timer. They made the intro less crazy hard and toned down the overall game a bit a few days later
"if you havent seen the shows his music is featured in, I feel sorry for you" It also applies to people who have seen said shows, because Hirasawa ended up outliving both Kon and Miura. Rip Dream Machine and Berserk.
@@pacefactor the animation's is excellent, but as an adaptation it's very meh. The anime director disagreed with the fact it was a fantasy manga and they removed a lot of the dark fairy tailes vibe it had. Hell, he didn't even want to animate the eclipse at first until the studio forced him
Me too, kind of Ruiner got me into sidewalk e skeleton, and then Sidewalk e skeleton got me into witch house, thought their is still the best for me (cashforgold too)
I have been in love with Island Door (Susumu Hirasawa's song) for years. Just listened to it again a couple of days ago. And now you upload this video and tell people how great Susumu Hirasawa is.
honestly i ONLY played melee and dash. got the "its over 9000!" achievement on my first run. only after did i find out there were guns in the game.....
Surprised to see a ruiner review from you, I played it 2 years ago and really enjoyed it. (+as a Susumu Hirasawa fan and Berserk nerd I was very happy to hear him at the city)
@@legion999 40 I believe, but with the passing of Kentaro Miura I don’t know for how much longer it will go, we only know that there’s one chapter coming but that’s it.
Surprised to see this. This game's soundtrack is still one of the more memorable ones for me. And yes, the balance in difficulty in the game does seem a bit weird at times, which is why they added NG+ later on, if I remember right. I think the scoring system was also not in the game originally, but I might be remembering wrong on that. It feels like they put the game out and didn't expect it to do well enough to support further development on it, but felt like they had to once they saw the popularity. I think it was also around the time when Devolver got popular, so things might be a bit tied there. It's a memorable and fun game, but had its issues.
@@arsenelupin9697 You say that like it’s a bad thing. And no, he’s not. He says bad stuff about capitalism in vague terms in his videos once every six months.
@@Mordrevious So he's stupid then? There is no such thing as "capitalism" it was a term invented by communists to categorize and demonize a non system because you cannot control non systems as there is no system to control. "Capitalism" is just the natural order of people trading, whether that be labor, money or resources. Congrats on falling for the long con.
Nameless masked protagonist, beating hordes of enemies to the synthwave (or something), secretly being a pawn to someone on top? Sure, nothing similar. Also, SUPER HOT gave the same vibes
@@lastburning eh, hotline Miami 2 is kinda bloated in comparison to 1. I enjoy 1 a tiny bit more I think, but the soundtrack in 2 might be a miniscule amount better tho. But I agree I rarely played a twin stick shooter that could hold a candle to hotline Miami.
@@kloakekloaker1020 yeah tbh this game feels pretty slow and somewhat clunky compared to Hotline Miami. Just got this game and enjoying it so far, but im still getting used to how SLOW you move
"Your character installed a terrible VPN service that their favorite unboxer told them was good and now their brain has been hacked." Me: ...and I took that personally.
Played it when it released. The OST from Sidewalks & Skeletons aswell as Susumu Hirasawa are to this day in my head. Just as the art-direction. Fantastic, short trip, definetly recommend checking it out
I spent a lot of time thinking about Ruiner while I was playing The Ascent a few weeks back. I did eventually run out of patience for Ruiner, the endless repeat of walk into arena room, kill enemies, go through corridor, another arena room, repeat. Hopefully they can take some of the concepts they've really nailed (art style, audio) and add it to something a little more complex next time.
How stupid is this comment if you play BRs and grind games repeating the same matches or arenas as well. How little patience do you have that you can’t even pass a short game like this lol
@@CoercedJab uh... That's a strong IF there. Many many people specifically don't play BRs and grind games...? It's not about personal patience levels so much as how draining the game is on your patience. "You don't hit yourself in the face with a brick 20 times? Low patience!"
Susumu Hirasawa is great. His sound is trippy, unique and a little bit sad though that might just be because I associate him most with Paranoia Agent and I am still not over the death of Satoshi Kon 11 years later.
It got the attention it deserved. People haven’t trusted game journalism well before the time this game dropped. The problem is the gameplay in this game is lackluster and only worth maybe 10 hours of your time so nobody is going to remember it as fondly.
Played it on Xbox back when it was on Gamepass and I truly had a blast. Kinda wish that someday we get some sort of sequel. This game in 4k/60 fps would be so much fun.
"Save someone you love" is such a perfect heroic goal, brother or not. Maybe that's why plot-twist-obsessed media dangles these archtypal quests only to "subvert your expectations". Not that a layer cake of betrayal isn't extremely cyberpunk, or anything.
Yeah the writers like to dangle it as you said, but in the case of this game the story is more about setting the tone or getting the feeling of this world rather than narrative. It's more about style over substance and gameplay over plot. That said the story doesn't dissolve your IQ just by listening to it, as in many other media products, on the contrary, it gives you something to think about after finishing the game, which is always a big +.
@Azraiel213 I'd say it works because of the games setting. It's like waiting for the other shoe to drop. You know it's a lie, you know there's an ulterior motive, you know there's going to be a betrayal. So when it finally happens there is a certain sense of vindication for being so cynical.
I'm mostly just incredibly sick of siblings being nearly exclusively used as a plot hook or motivation. Gosh, can I get a sibling as an actual character in some form of media once in a blue moon?
No, there is one track from him (Island Door) and that one just got licensed for this game. His didn't actually came up with new stuff only for the game.
Just looked it up, they have one more song by him that plays at the very end of the game, basically during the epilogue. Recall. Still thought there were more, but it looks like they could only license the two because of copyright headaches
Solid review, really want to get the OST now. But loved that the TMNT arcade game music was hidden playing underneath the 'Hotline Miami' part of the review :)
That LCD screen helmet reminds me of a gang of bad guys from a 00's _Iron Man_ comic. The *Beautiful Garbage* Internet A.I. gang, and their android avatars covered in LCD screens.
This game seems to tick a lot of boxes for me. I love the setting, the pace, the graphics, and i do enjoy twin stick games. But i could not get into this one for reasons i cannot explain. That said, this review might convince me i should give it another try.
@@lifetake3103 Yeah, i was halfway through the video when i wrote that. He kept saying that the combat was enjoyable, but i didn't immediately feel like it was for me. Later in the video he mentions how it's kind of clunky. I guess that was my original conclusion, so perhaps i need not revisit it. I just always feel guilty when i get a game (even if it's part of a bundle), and i don't really give it a chance - 20 minutes in, and i set it aside to go play Risk of Rain 2 some more. "Totally going to finally play Jedi Fallen Order... maybe i'll just warm up with Binding of Isaac first..."
I'll probably be replaying this game as I had the same experience as you, but I was using a controller as it seemed like it would function better. I'll be trying KB+M next time.
I wanted there to be more going on. The combat is fun but gets old fast despite the abilities, and since all you do in the game is fight it gets old even faster. This is one of those games I prayed to be good because it's so me but I stopped on the last level.
Damn, Mando really is the best game reviewer on RUclips, shame we can't get more but he is the definition of quality over quantity so it's a fair exchange
Oooh, that Adios shoutout. God that game does dialogue so well. I'd ask if you were gonna cover it, but I don't think that "literally 30 seconds of video before the spoiler warning kicks in" would be a real winner with the algorithm
Since ya did this one I’ll recommend doing The Ascent. Get some decent cyber punk rpg action out of that one. Also I really think you’ll fall in love with some of the visuals.
i tried that one and..idk... it felt waay too big for me.. Like...in sense of the town... i got lost really fast and ran around aimleeslyctrying to collectxas many side quests and then i get blasted by 5 guys and axturret lol. Its... a similar ish game but unlikexruiner where its all clear cut Ascend felt...bloated. It really needs a better sense of pacing. And the story aspect is...meh. Idk its all over the place.
@@johnynoway9127 They throw you in the hub early and disorient you, I'll give you that. But I feel that they designed the game coming more from an RPG and exploration stand point. There's a lot of dense locations. Very different approach from Ruiner. I happen to like it a lot but hey to each their own.
I really wanted The Ascent, but I get seizures, and the trailers were enough to give me a rough afternoon. Is the actual gameplay less of a strobe light, than the trailers, and/or are there enough graphics options to make it safe for me to play?
I just wanted to say thanks for the recommendation because I got The Ascent on Game Pass about a week ago and I'm loving the shit out of it! Very fun, satisfying, and the combat is super meaty. I would never have thought about had your comment not caught my eye, so again, thanks!
I completed it today after hearing about it from you months ago. Other than a couple sudden spikes in difficulty which really should've been smoothened out more, this was pretty enjoyable to play
Your reviews are always such high quality, I get super excited when you've uploaded! I'd love to see a review on a game like Grim Dawn just to get your opinion sometime
Wow, I never expected to see this game on your channel. It's far from my favourite game, but definitely one of the most stylish games I've played in years. I even made pixel fan-art for it.
I love how mandy keeps shouting out grimbeard. I think anyone who is a fan of videos like this should check out Grimbeard. The bad mic quality at the start of his reviews is a joke. SAMMY
I think people ask you to review more well known games like Bioshock because they like your approach to reviews and would like to get your perspective on it. That's how I feel about it, at least. Love your stuff! You're one of the few folks I actually go back and binge the majority of your backlog from time to time
I enjoyed the heck out of this game. It felt like the perfect length of game for what it is, my 100% playthrough took probably 8-10 hours and I think it would’ve become repetitive if it was any longer. It does have a bit of replayability with the types of builds you can go for.
considering you can realocate your skills, I'd say there was never an incentive to play with different builds. Rather, I think the game expects you to experiment, in the first playthrough, and optimize for different situations, in subsequent playthroughs
Aha! One of the games I'd suggested your looking into, with your last upload. Like you said, the music really drives this game, so good. Check out Observer too though, you won't be disappointed, Mandalore!
This whole game honestly looks and feels like a music video by 3-Teeth and i wouldn't be surprised if the devs were inspired by them. They even have the Crimson Blast look going on.
Mandalores such a good reviewer. I barely see anyone talk about sound design, and most dont go into much detail and make it very opinionated. Youre 100% factual with a bit of opinion sprinkled in and its great. The fact this game got summed up by the biggest game reviewer with "its good when its over" because they suck at it is disgusting
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
RUINER on GOG - gog.la/ComeOnPuppy
The List - docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_K3ziSxT9zcUUGCddS4sF1uNJTWHSbOwB1CQX2Rx4Uo
It turns out the next video might be a cyberpunk kind of thing, I have no idea anymore.
GOG link doesn't work
its hotline miami bcs every game that u run fast and kill lots of peopl gets compared to hotline miami
Awesome video on an awesome game. Can you consider doing a review on Shadow Man, please?
@@rfgnmf-nmesofuehsdjfnrmeowfsdz it worked for me
Original xcom video please 👺🙏
Much love for the mention!! 💜 Really appreciate that! Great video!
Thanks so much for your work. Your stuff is so good!
I only bought the game because of the soundtrack. 👍
Got the game, never installed it, listened to the soundtrack by curiosity and became a fan of yours instead, Sidewalks and Skeletons.
I don't listen to a lot of OSTs, but this is one I constantly pull out. Although I was a fan before the game, so I knew I'd like it. And it really does fit very well.
Your music is fantastic.
7:40 Wouldnt be a MandaloreGaming review without a marv getting electrocuted sound effect.
It's what I look forward to every time
I knew Mandalore would be devious enough to take the bread out of voice actors mouths, taking such prestigious roles as Sewer Goblin just because he's a famous youtube man.
The world will be denied the true talent who deserved to be cough3.wav
I find this entire interaction rather funny.
Meanwhile the funny shitpost man Gianni Matragrano literally steals whole ass VA roles and no one bats an eye.
@@JeanMarceaux You can't steal a job. Nobody is owed a job opportunity.
@@JeanMarceaux he is a professional VA, the shitposting is his side gig
"I did enjoy playing it, there's just not a lot to come back to later."
You perfectly summarized my feelings on this game. I loved every moment while playing through the game, but once I beat it I didn't have any urge to replay it at all. This is the first game that has ever made me feel that way.
There is a sort of beauty in that. A game that you can only experience at the the best enjoyment level, not allowing u to repeat it as you will never have an experience that is up to par as the first one which made u love the game
new game+ is a "hader than hard mode" with unique weapons, so there is something new for at least a second play.
I felt that way with Katana Zero
Vampyr did that for me.
Mine would be Star Wars: X-Wing. It's great, but it sure is hard to play again with the likes of TIE Fighter and X-Wing Alliance around. Bonus if there are total conversion mods based on X-Wing that are far better (XWVM, for one example, albeit it's still unfinished).
At least the games mentioned here aren't terrible either. Now that's a plus for me.
Mandalore is one of the few reviewer that always mentions sound effects and the soundscape in general. I gotta say, I used to never care about it, but now after some two years of watching his reviews, I started noticing it a lot more in games.
About some of the games he mentioned I'd say the music in them is pretty forgettable. But not in this one.
To be fair there is the argument to be made it's something when done well you probably shouldn't notice. That said, Ruiner is a game that is greater than the sum of its parts because all of them are extremely solid or even excellent (sound) but they compliment each other extremely well to the point that it elevates the experience.
@@quint3ssent1a For that, it may be dependent on who listens. There's games whose music I love but others shrug at (Gothic 1 and 2)
ACG is also good about having a section for sound/music
I'd also recommend also checking out Grimbeard if you haven't! Mandalore mentioned him during the bit while talking about the soundtrack. He always does the same, dedicating a fair bit to soundscapes while still also offering very in-depth reviews of games. I learned about Mandalore through him, where for most it was the other way around.
"IGN gave it a 6 because it's hard" might be the funniest thing I've ever heard. Thank you for actually being a good game reviewer.
Reminds me of "too much water."
Stuff like that is common in journalism in general, let alone IGN.
Well, to be fair, first build of this game have unreasonably hard boss Mother in it. Which also sometimes bugged. It was nerfed to hell.
Maybe if they had placed a few more adverts on their site, their score would've been a bit higher
Those games did have too much water
@@cloud_and_proud Pretty much this all the way
Look at mandalore cheekily dancing around his cameo in ultrakill
I thought you were dead
Yeah, how did he end up there? Does he talk a lot about Ultrakill on his twitter or something?
Timestamp?
@@ChronicNOTAG Hakita mentioned on twitter that Mandalore was very helpful to him back when he started the game's development, before New Blood was involved. He's in the game as a form of gratitude, I reckon.
*FULLERAUTO*
The GrimBeard name drop made me smile! Showing him some love! He totally deserves it.
The Home Alone scream is one of my favorite running jokes in anything
@ye or maybe nah TAKE IT, BOY
And it allways catches me offguard so i have to blow a little air out of my nose.
@@StrikeWarlock WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING?
@@lightshining_indarkness I'M THE BOSS OF THIS GYM
@@StrikeWarlock do you like what you see?
Shout-out to Sidewalks and Skeletons, one of the greatest witch house/wave musicians out there and helping to keep the genre alive. I'm so glad he was part of this game.
Truly sad many artists stopped. I miss many of them. Axius Link and Radost Moya for example.
@@zogwort1522 Your an embarrassment
@@zogwort1522 No
@@zogwort1522 you seriously shaming people's music tastes in 2021? Eh, then again I still make fun of K-Pop so who am I to have any say.
@@zogwort1522learn to enjoy things
I'm suprised by how Synthetik is not mentioned when mentioning similar games.
The moment I saw the gameplay, Synthetik reload reflexes in my brain kicked in!
synthetik meets doom eternal
I get major Synthetik vibes too.
Well, his alter ego already reviewed it some time ago, so...
@@friedipar *DO YOU ENJOY VIOLANCE?*
@@hansbass8119 OF COURSE YOU DO
All of the "Puppy" lines from Ruiner have awoken something in me.
such as a puppy?
good puppy
Inside all of us is a good boi/girl just waiting for someone to tell us how good we are.
@@UltimateCarl nah ur just weird
@@UltimateCarl i suggest professional help
Well I'll be damned, I really caught this one. Also, I really like the Susumu Hirasawa track that plays in the hub.
Didn't he compose tracks for Berserk?
@@TerryHesticles87 yee, also for Paprika I think
@@TerryHesticles87 He did Berserk and most of Satoshi Kon's stuff (Paprika, Millennium Actress, and Paranoia Agent).
As soon as I heard his name I was like, I am buying the game, the devs have taste.
As soon as I heard it my mind instantly went:HA-IIIIIIIII YAI FORCES
The tutorial mission when it came out was extremely hard, you had to be perfect against like 5 dudes and it had a really short kill timer. They made the intro less crazy hard and toned down the overall game a bit a few days later
I remember that version, I couldn't get through the first multiple-enemy section and gave up. And I'm not exactly an amateur gamer.
Maybe that's why I was confused. I don't remember this game being that hard at all, really. I had to repeat a few boss fights, but nothing major.
I actually preferred that version. The intensity was so high, it was a blast. Not as fun without that level of intensity.
"i'm not grimbeard" yeah that sounds like something a secret grimbeard doppelganger would say
Is he Grimbeard's alternate personality, or Sseth's?
@@somenerd3515 Foolish, thinking they’re not one big gestalt entity.
@@Mordrevious Oh, christ. This IS the darkest timeline.
So I guess Sseth, Mandalore and Grimbeard are just a hive mind.
I've suspected this exact thing for quite some time.
Your reviews are always such high quality
@Shah Khalid I think Grimbeard tend to over do it a bit but he does make the same type of videos so recommended aswell!
"if you havent seen the shows his music is featured in, I feel sorry for you"
It also applies to people who have seen said shows, because Hirasawa ended up outliving both Kon and Miura. Rip Dream Machine and Berserk.
Berserk anime kinda sucked anyway
@@legion999 the remake stuff I would agree, but the original adaptation hit pretty good.
@@legion999 the one by the animators behind by Teekyu only had 1 Hirasawa track. The OG one had a lot.
@@StrikeWarlock The music's cool, but the manga was so much better
@@pacefactor the animation's is excellent, but as an adaptation it's very meh. The anime director disagreed with the fact it was a fantasy manga and they removed a lot of the dark fairy tailes vibe it had. Hell, he didn't even want to animate the eclipse at first until the studio forced him
I wrote one of the weapon descriptions for this game in a contest the devs ran, glad to see you talking about the game!
cmon you gotta tell us which one
I’m so happy that, since the Droods, “skeletonized” has been incorporated into the broader lexicon of this channel.
Skeletonized is a regular English word.
@@HiterLit I know, jackass, I meant into the broader canon and lexicon of the Mandaloregaming RUclips channel and extended enterprise.
@@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick No need to be rude.
Did he say it in his FEAR review? That was some time prior.
@@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick language
Sidewalks and Skeletons got me into Witch House. Really talented and perfectly nailed the vibe in this game.
I did not know this was a genre, but I think I have to take a dive into it now that I know what it is.
@@zogwort1522 i bet you’re fun at parties. but i know that you don’t get invited to any.
Me too, kind of Ruiner got me into sidewalk e skeleton, and then Sidewalk e skeleton got me into witch house, thought their is still the best for me (cashforgold too)
listen to king night if you havent already
Zamilska is pretty great, so it's awesome to see her music in this.
+1 for Zamilska. Just... be prepared for weirdness when you see her MVs.
Thanks for spelling out her name! Now I'm gonna check her out
Her music is so great
run
I have been in love with Island Door (Susumu Hirasawa's song) for years. Just listened to it again a couple of days ago. And now you upload this video and tell people how great Susumu Hirasawa is.
honestly i ONLY played melee and dash. got the "its over 9000!" achievement on my first run. only after did i find out there were guns in the game.....
Sounds like how I played Hotline Miami. Tony the Tiger put in work. Lethal fists are underrated
This remind me of the story where some guy didnt know how to block in DS 1 so he just only parries the whole game
@@lurky6439 what does DS1 stand for?
@@MouldMadeMind dark souls 1
@@lurky6439 His ignorance led him to being better at DS1, amazing.
Channels reviews older titles is just pure gold. I love it. Thank you for a great review!
Surprised to see a ruiner review from you, I played it 2 years ago and really enjoyed it. (+as a Susumu Hirasawa fan and Berserk nerd I was very happy to hear him at the city)
What volume is the manga on now? I stopped reading after demon sultan showed up
@@legion999 40 I believe, but with the passing of Kentaro Miura I don’t know for how much longer it will go, we only know that there’s one chapter coming but that’s it.
@@abysschef5078 it’s really is sad may he rest
Surprised to see this. This game's soundtrack is still one of the more memorable ones for me.
And yes, the balance in difficulty in the game does seem a bit weird at times, which is why they added NG+ later on, if I remember right. I think the scoring system was also not in the game originally, but I might be remembering wrong on that. It feels like they put the game out and didn't expect it to do well enough to support further development on it, but felt like they had to once they saw the popularity. I think it was also around the time when Devolver got popular, so things might be a bit tied there.
It's a memorable and fun game, but had its issues.
I absolutely adore this game, and I hope for a sequel. The look and feel of a classic cyberpunk manga are superb.
Leaving a comment to boost the Grim Beard shout-out! That dude is still so underrated.
I perked up when I heard that and came down here to see if anyone else noticed.
I might be misremembering something, but isn't that dude an avowed commie? ^^
@@arsenelupin9697 You say that like it’s a bad thing. And no, he’s not. He says bad stuff about capitalism in vague terms in his videos once every six months.
@@Mordrevious Speaking as someone, who grew up in a communist controlled Romania - yes, it is a bad thing.
@@Mordrevious So he's stupid then? There is no such thing as "capitalism" it was a term invented by communists to categorize and demonize a non system because you cannot control non systems as there is no system to control. "Capitalism" is just the natural order of people trading, whether that be labor, money or resources. Congrats on falling for the long con.
Yo! I've been hoping he'd cover this game, probably one of my favorites as of recent. The combat just feels so nice!
0:05 when mandalore uploads
A cute, sadistic "her" that calls you "puppy"?! I'm amazing this DIDN'T take off.
Difficult game with a third person view? "Dark Souls game!" top down beating up people while Drive cosplaying? "Hotline miami!"
Nameless masked protagonist, beating hordes of enemies to the synthwave (or something), secretly being a pawn to someone on top? Sure, nothing similar.
Also, SUPER HOT gave the same vibes
There are times when the comparisons are laughable, but this isn't one of them. They're basically identical, down to the story.
Nothing beats Hotline Miami in its genre. Well, except Hotline Miami 2.
@@lastburning eh, hotline Miami 2 is kinda bloated in comparison to 1. I enjoy 1 a tiny bit more I think, but the soundtrack in 2 might be a miniscule amount better tho.
But I agree I rarely played a twin stick shooter that could hold a candle to hotline Miami.
@@kloakekloaker1020 yeah tbh this game feels pretty slow and somewhat clunky compared to Hotline Miami. Just got this game and enjoying it so far, but im still getting used to how SLOW you move
I'm glad someone finally talked about Ruiner.
Zamilska is a great artist and I found her through this game. Undone is one of my favorite albums.
This game introduced me to her. I was in disbelief when I found out none of the songs were made for this game. That's talent right there
Yeaaaah me too
"Your character installed a terrible VPN service that their favorite unboxer told them was good and now their brain has been hacked."
Me: ...and I took that personally.
Played it when it released. The OST from Sidewalks & Skeletons aswell as Susumu Hirasawa are to this day in my head. Just as the art-direction.
Fantastic, short trip, definetly recommend checking it out
At first I was like "Where's the Marv scream, Mandy?"
Then I was like "Oh, there it is."
I'm caught up in the droods/moment of silence streams so naturally the word at 1:20 got me to lose my shit. Thank you gamer
The power of the droods truly is far reaching
?
Droods 1: ruclips.net/video/e2hN0aLafzs/видео.html
Droods 2: ruclips.net/video/UueVcz8u1UU/видео.html
Aliens 1: ruclips.net/video/csI7yza3_JY/видео.html
Aliens 2: ruclips.net/video/2C5Slps3kqQ/видео.html
Aliens 3: ruclips.net/video/YB8Rum1OtwM/видео.html
Say goodbye to ur weekend
It's probably about time for me to rewatch them again.
@@adamofblastworks1517 dew it, and have fun bro
Love the Grimbeard reference. You're the reason I found his channel and I'm forever grateful.
I spent a lot of time thinking about Ruiner while I was playing The Ascent a few weeks back. I did eventually run out of patience for Ruiner, the endless repeat of walk into arena room, kill enemies, go through corridor, another arena room, repeat. Hopefully they can take some of the concepts they've really nailed (art style, audio) and add it to something a little more complex next time.
How stupid is this comment if you play BRs and grind games repeating the same matches or arenas as well. How little patience do you have that you can’t even pass a short game like this lol
@@CoercedJab uh... That's a strong IF there. Many many people specifically don't play BRs and grind games...? It's not about personal patience levels so much as how draining the game is on your patience. "You don't hit yourself in the face with a brick 20 times? Low patience!"
Susumu Hirasawa is great. His sound is trippy, unique and a little bit sad though that might just be because I associate him most with Paranoia Agent and I am still not over the death of Satoshi Kon 11 years later.
At the soundtrack part I was sitting here thinking "this sound familiar..." then you said sidewalk and skeletons. I need to buy this game now.
Great idea,
note that since last time I checked, the OST version doesn't include Island Door for some reason.
Absolutely love Susumu Hirasawa. Honestly wasn't that surprised to hear his track ingame once I saw the lil Brand of Sacrifice on 'Her's pin
This game is hella underrated, some of the music in this game is just great. And the visual style as well is just so so good, it needs more attention
It got the attention it deserved. People haven’t trusted game journalism well before the time this game dropped. The problem is the gameplay in this game is lackluster and only worth maybe 10 hours of your time so nobody is going to remember it as fondly.
Played it on Xbox back when it was on Gamepass and I truly had a blast. Kinda wish that someday we get some sort of sequel. This game in 4k/60 fps would be so much fun.
Aren't they making a new FPS that kind of looks like it?
"Save someone you love" is such a perfect heroic goal, brother or not. Maybe that's why plot-twist-obsessed media dangles these archtypal quests only to "subvert your expectations".
Not that a layer cake of betrayal isn't extremely cyberpunk, or anything.
Yeah the writers like to dangle it as you said, but in the case of this game the story is more about setting the tone or getting the feeling of this world rather than narrative. It's more about style over substance and gameplay over plot. That said the story doesn't dissolve your IQ just by listening to it, as in many other media products, on the contrary, it gives you something to think about after finishing the game, which is always a big +.
To me it feels cheap if the person in peril isnt properly established before hand
I think it's fair to say that any stakes set out of the blue can feel cheap, @@3libras903, but for Runner it kinda works?
@Azraiel213 I'd say it works because of the games setting. It's like waiting for the other shoe to drop. You know it's a lie, you know there's an ulterior motive, you know there's going to be a betrayal. So when it finally happens there is a certain sense of vindication for being so cynical.
I'm mostly just incredibly sick of siblings being nearly exclusively used as a plot hook or motivation. Gosh, can I get a sibling as an actual character in some form of media once in a blue moon?
everytime I finish a new video my first thought is usually "when's the _next_ video coming out?".
great job!
This game introduced me to the spookysynth music of Sidewalks and Skeletons and for that I'm thankful
Nice GrimBeard shout out! Love you both!
Susumu Hirasawa did some of the music for this game. His tracks are fucking wild.
No, there is one track from him (Island Door) and that one just got licensed for this game. His didn't actually came up with new stuff only for the game.
@@ericschuster2680
Could have sworn he actually did a few background tracks too. Maybe I'm confusing him with someone else.
he is right, its just Island Door, a licensed song for this game. All the ost is brilliant tho.
Just looked it up, they have one more song by him that plays at the very end of the game, basically during the epilogue. Recall.
Still thought there were more, but it looks like they could only license the two because of copyright headaches
The man is a genius, for sure. Also, can't wait to see your video on the Golden Age arc
Solid review, really want to get the OST now. But loved that the TMNT arcade game music was hidden playing underneath the 'Hotline Miami' part of the review :)
Such a good game, amazing soundtrack. This and Brigador are some real indie gems.
I would suggest an indie game called 'Into the Breach' It's such an underrated gem
Do you have a moment to talk about our Lord and Saviour _SYNTHETIK?_
I feel bad for saying this but I kind of found Brigador boring.
@@niallreid7664 No need to feel bad obviously people have different tastes.
Subjective
That LCD screen helmet reminds me of a gang of bad guys from a 00's _Iron Man_ comic. The *Beautiful Garbage* Internet A.I. gang, and their android avatars covered in LCD screens.
This game seems to tick a lot of boxes for me. I love the setting, the pace, the graphics, and i do enjoy twin stick games. But i could not get into this one for reasons i cannot explain. That said, this review might convince me i should give it another try.
I feel like the review probably did the exact opposite. Commented on the things you liked, but probably explained the flaws that got you to stop.
@@lifetake3103 Yeah, i was halfway through the video when i wrote that. He kept saying that the combat was enjoyable, but i didn't immediately feel like it was for me. Later in the video he mentions how it's kind of clunky. I guess that was my original conclusion, so perhaps i need not revisit it.
I just always feel guilty when i get a game (even if it's part of a bundle), and i don't really give it a chance - 20 minutes in, and i set it aside to go play Risk of Rain 2 some more.
"Totally going to finally play Jedi Fallen Order... maybe i'll just warm up with Binding of Isaac first..."
I'll probably be replaying this game as I had the same experience as you, but I was using a controller as it seemed like it would function better. I'll be trying KB+M next time.
Justavian what a loyal consoomer
I wanted there to be more going on. The combat is fun but gets old fast despite the abilities, and since all you do in the game is fight it gets old even faster. This is one of those games I prayed to be good because it's so me but I stopped on the last level.
1:20 I see Mandalore made good use of newly expanded vocabulary
Damn, Mando really is the best game reviewer on RUclips, shame we can't get more but he is the definition of quality over quantity so it's a fair exchange
Oooh, that Adios shoutout. God that game does dialogue so well. I'd ask if you were gonna cover it, but I don't think that "literally 30 seconds of video before the spoiler warning kicks in" would be a real winner with the algorithm
Since ya did this one I’ll recommend doing The Ascent. Get some decent cyber punk rpg action out of that one. Also I really think you’ll fall in love with some of the visuals.
i tried that one and..idk... it felt waay too big for me..
Like...in sense of the town... i got lost really fast and ran around aimleeslyctrying to collectxas many side quests and then i get blasted by 5 guys and axturret lol.
Its... a similar ish game but unlikexruiner where its all clear cut Ascend felt...bloated.
It really needs a better sense of pacing.
And the story aspect is...meh. Idk its all over the place.
@@johnynoway9127 They throw you in the hub early and disorient you, I'll give you that. But I feel that they designed the game coming more from an RPG and exploration stand point. There's a lot of dense locations. Very different approach from Ruiner. I happen to like it a lot but hey to each their own.
I really wanted The Ascent, but I get seizures, and the trailers were enough to give me a rough afternoon. Is the actual gameplay less of a strobe light, than the trailers, and/or are there enough graphics options to make it safe for me to play?
I just wanted to say thanks for the recommendation because I got The Ascent on Game Pass about a week ago and I'm loving the shit out of it! Very fun, satisfying, and the combat is super meaty. I would never have thought about had your comment not caught my eye, so again, thanks!
@@futonrevolution7671 I’m sorry man, I really don’t know enough about your condition to be able to comment. There are some flashing lights.
I just noticed HER has the symbol from berserk that guts has branded on his neck as a pin on her jacket
I hope they expand the universe, it would make a pretty good comic
Holy Crap Mandalore, Thank You for introducing me to Susumu Hirasawa. Some of the best I'm not sure how to explain type music I've ever listened to!
Closest genre ive found to his is called shoegaze, but yeah, his music his outstanding and otherworldly to listen to, easily my favorite artist
Can't be a Mandalore review without the electrocution meme, huh :D?
I completed it today after hearing about it from you months ago. Other than a couple sudden spikes in difficulty which really should've been smoothened out more, this was pretty enjoyable to play
Wasnt expecting you to review this game but hell yeah!
While it is true that you can be tactical in Hotline Miami, generally you'll get the highest scores just relying purely on your reflexes
As a fan of Sidewalks and Skeletons, this game was a treat.
Oh nice shout out to Adios is the story section. The way that games did choices was incredible.
It's such a neat little game. I'm sure it'll get some good recognition in years to come.
Mandalore blessing us with another vid
whoa!!! i had no idea sidewalks and skeletons worked on ruiner that's so freaking cool, one of my favorite witch house guys
Your reviews are always such high quality, I get super excited when you've uploaded! I'd love to see a review on a game like Grim Dawn just to get your opinion sometime
Okay that music in the conclusion might be an actual song but the only thing of when I hear it is WWF no mercy for the Nintendo 64
glad to see this game getting covered!
16:32 Thank God. Sometimes I feel like the only person in the world who likes Resident Evil 6.
Chris Stuckmann as the Driver really caught me off guard.
Just noticed "Her" has the mark from Berserk marking those with it for sacrifice. That's a neat little tidbit.
One of my favourite indies in the last decade, sadly a bit of an underrated gem. Amazing soundtrack.
Mandalore, I NEED that Kingdom Under Fire review, don't you let me down!
Man, I need to go back and replay Ruiner
Also I think Her calling me "Puppy" awoke something in me...
Wow, I never expected to see this game on your channel. It's far from my favourite game, but definitely one of the most stylish games I've played in years. I even made pixel fan-art for it.
Always excited to see a new mandalore video :D Out of curiosity, what is the game at 14:02?
Seems like its a game called Adios, according to some other comments!
Thanks!!! :D@@elt358
Eyyy new video , its a happy day . Looking forward to those old game reviews and longer videos ;)
Love the Grimbeard name drop! I love twin stick shooters, took your advice and got Brigodor when you released that video. This looks great!
Mandalore is the only channel that receives an audible gasp every time I see a new upload.
I love how mandy keeps shouting out grimbeard.
I think anyone who is a fan of videos like this should check out Grimbeard. The bad mic quality at the start of his reviews is a joke.
SAMMY
SAMMY!!!
Thanks for the Grimbeard shout-out! Glory to the Goth Gamer Nation!
Love this game, it's got heaps of style and attitude. Also, Sleep Paralysis is the best track in it
First day out of rehab with my phone back and I get to watch a Mandalore video😉😋
I think people ask you to review more well known games like Bioshock because they like your approach to reviews and would like to get your perspective on it. That's how I feel about it, at least. Love your stuff! You're one of the few folks I actually go back and binge the majority of your backlog from time to time
Hell yeah, Ruiner is great, especially the music
My favorite mandy vids will forever be the ones about games I've already played and enjoyed
I enjoyed the heck out of this game. It felt like the perfect length of game for what it is, my 100% playthrough took probably 8-10 hours and I think it would’ve become repetitive if it was any longer. It does have a bit of replayability with the types of builds you can go for.
considering you can realocate your skills, I'd say there was never an incentive to play with different builds. Rather, I think the game expects you to experiment, in the first playthrough, and optimize for different situations, in subsequent playthroughs
Aha! One of the games I'd suggested your looking into, with your last upload. Like you said, the music really drives this game, so good. Check out Observer too though, you won't be disappointed, Mandalore!
This whole game honestly looks and feels like a music video by 3-Teeth and i wouldn't be surprised if the devs were inspired by them. They even have the Crimson Blast look going on.
Im glad to hear mandalore use the term "Skeletonize" more
I love ruiner, it's so good
great vid! i'm realizing more and more how much i enjoy weekend games lately in between my giant backlog of month to year-long games lol
When I played this game I always tried to get S ranks, *for the plot.*
"good job Puppy!"
Even tho' she's what she is, I'd still die for her like a simp
@@Rise65487 Makima effect
now bark
Mandalores such a good reviewer. I barely see anyone talk about sound design, and most dont go into much detail and make it very opinionated. Youre 100% factual with a bit of opinion sprinkled in and its great. The fact this game got summed up by the biggest game reviewer with "its good when its over" because they suck at it is disgusting
Sidewalks and Skeletons is really good, cool to see them in this game